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[[Image:Glans side.jpg|right|thumb|Human penis with its foreskin retracted to expose the glans.]]
The glans penis, or simply the glans, refers to the head of the penis. The glans is usually covered by a hood of flesh folded skin called the [[foreskin]]. The surface of the glans is mucosal tissue that, under normal conditions, is moist and supple. If left uncovered for long periods of time, the surface of the glans begins to dry out. In the [[circumcision|circumcised]] penis, the glans is permanently exposed; the surface of the glans dries out and develops layers of [[keratinization|keratin]]and loses sensation.
==Sensitivity and enervation of the glans penis ==
The human glans penis has virtually no fine touch sensation and can only sense deep pressure and pain at a high threshold. This was first reported by the inventor of the aesthesiometer,<ref>{{Von (1894)}} | [[Template:Von (1894)|see more]]</p></ref> and led Sir Henry Head to make his famous comparison with the back of the heel.<ref>{{Head (1920)}} | [[Template:Head (1920)|see more]]</p></ref>
The dartos muscle sheet in the foreskin produces contractions that are slow, sustained, and may produce great force, such as in cold temperatures.<ref>Jefferson G. [http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/jefferson/| The peripenic muscle; some observations on the anatomy of phimosis]. ''Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics '' 1916 Aug;23(2):177-81.</ref>
The innervation of the glans responds to pressure hence the glans are meant to be stimulated with the foreskin as its medium.
While the human glans penis is protopathic, the prepuce contains a high concentration of touch receptors in the [[ridged band.<ref>{{Cold and McGrath (1999)}} | [[Template:Cold and McGrath (1999)|see more]]</p></ref>.
In the human penis, the prepuce is known to have ten times more corpuscular sensory receptors than the glans penis.<ref>{{Halata_(1986)}} | [[Template:Halata_(1986)|see more]]</p></ref>
Most people are surprised to learn that the glans penis is one of the least sensitive parts of the entire body<ref>Halata Z, Munger BL. The [Neuroanatomical basis for the protopathic sensibility of the human glans penis]. ''Brain res Res'' 1986 Apr 23;371(2):205-30.</ref>The glans is insensitive to light touch, heat, cold, and even pinpricks, as researches at the Department of Pathology in the Health Scientists centre Science Centre at the University of Manitoba discovered<ref>Taylor JR, Lockwood AP, Taylor AJ. [http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/taylor/The prepuce: specialized musocsa of the penis and its loss to circumcision]. ''Br J Urol '' 1996 Feb;77(2): 291-5</ref>
The corona of the glans contains scattered free nerve endings, genital end bulbs, and pacinian corpuscles, which transmit sensations of pain and deep pressure. The glans is nearly incapable of detecting light touch.
The results of a fascinating study conducted by Dr. Christopher Cold and Dr. Kenneth A. McGrath demonstrate that the human foreskin in an evolutionary advancement over the foreskins of other primates. The human foreskin is far more sophisticated and responsive, as their comparative anatomy studies prove. This is seen most clearly in the evolutionary increase in corpuscular innervation and simultaneous decrease in corpuscular receptors in the human glans relative to the innervation of the foreskin and glans of lower primates.<ref>Cold CJ, McGrath KA. [http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/cold-mcgrath/Anatomy and histology of the penile and clitoral prepuce in primates: an evolutionary perspective of the specializes sensory tissue of the external genitalia]. In: Denniston GC, Hoges Hodges MF, Milos FM (eds). Male and female circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 1999. pp. 19-29</ref>
In other words, in monkeys and apes, the glans is more sensitive then the foreskin. In humans, this is reversed, so that the foreskin is more sensitive then the glans.
"The test group were 1.97 +/- 0.71, 2.64 +/- 1.38, 3.09 +/-1.46 and 2.97 +/- 1.20 respectively before and 1, 2 and 3 months after circumcision, with significant difference between pre- and post-operation (P < 0.05)."(1)
<ref>Yang, D.-M., Lin, H., Zhang, B., & Guo, W. (2008). Circumcision affects glans penis vibration perception threshold. Zhonghua nan ke xue National journal Journal of andrologyAndrology, 14(4), 328-330. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=18481425&dopt=abstractplus. Retrived May 17 2011 </ref>
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